June 15, 2010 (FinancialWire) — Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) said that its specialty coffee unit has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Pine State Trading Co. under which GMCR will transition direct customer support in its northeast region, including responsibility for sales representation, order management, delivery and equipment service, to Pine State Trading. The transaction is scheduled to close as of September 13, 2010.

Terms of the agreement, which GMCR said were not material, were not disclosed.

Scott McCreary, president of the GMCR unit, said that since the company first began its wholesale business, GMCR has maintained a direct store distribution model in the northeast region of the United States. He said, “Changing customer requirements led us to conclude it was time to transition the region to a more scalable distributor-based model consistent with the way we operate nationally and in Canada.”

Following completion of GMCR’s acquisition of Diedrich Coffee on May 11, GMCR employed around 2,100 full-time employees in the U.S. and Canada through its Specialty Coffee and Keurig business units.

The company said it expects 121 GMCR employees will be affected by the transition to Pine State Trading. It said that the majority of those employees will either continue employment with GMCR or be offered employment with Pine State Trading upon closing of the transaction in accordance with the terms of the purchase agreement.

Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ operations are managed through two business units. The specialty coffee business unit produces coffee, tea and hot cocoa from its line of brands. The Keurig business unit is a pioneer and manufacturer of gourmet single-cup brewing systems.

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